Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Friends who are blessed by Allah,
Many people think that the sign of a person’s righteousness is measured only by how long he holds prayer beads or how often he secludes himself for ritual worship. Yet in Islam, true religiosity must be proportional. A wisely righteous person understands that Allah SWT has appointed different times and places for each type of daily worship. He will not mix up the portions of obligations to the point of wronging the rights of others.There is a time when we must prostrate completely, and there is a time when we must be fully present for others:The time of dawn and before dawn is the absolute space for worship, prayer, remembrance [dhikr], and building an intimate vertical relationship with Allah [ḥabl min Allāh].But the time of gathering with family is the social space [ḥabl min al-nās] to entertain, converse, and grant the right of happiness to wife and children—not the time to be engrossed in dhikr alone while heedless of those around you .Psychologically and sociologically, humans have multiple roles [role multifacets] that demand balanced fulfillment of rights. If imbalance occurs—for example, time that should be for family is instead used for other matters, or vice versa—then interpersonal dysfunction and a crisis of harmony will arise. Islam is a religion that is very scientific and orderly in arranging this rhythm of life. Righteousness must never give birth to domestic injustice.
Allah SWT affirms the principle of proportionality and balance in all matters through His word in the Qur’an:
وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ
“And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.”[QS. Ar-Raḥmān: 9]
This principle of fulfilling rights according to their time was also precisely emphasized by Rasulullah ﷺ when he corrected a companion who worshiped excessively to the point of neglecting his family. He said:
فَإِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَإِنَّ لِعَيْنِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَإِنَّ لِزَوْجِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا
“Indeed your body has a right over you, your eye has a right over you, and your wife also has a right over you.”[HR. Bukhārī and Muslim]
2. Lessons and Message
Let us reflect on a heartbreaking true story from the corner of a home. There was a small child sitting alone in the corner of a room, watching his father who was always busy in his own world. The child desperately wanted to be hugged, to tell about his day at school, or just to laugh together. But every time the child approached, the father always brushed him aside with the excuse, “Don’t disturb Dad, Dad is busy doing dhikr/wirid—don’t cut off Dad’s reward.”Until one day, the child grew into a cold, distant figure who drifted away from religion because he felt religion had “stolen” his father’s affection. When the father grew old and needed someone to talk to, the child, in turn, ignored him. How saddening to see the emptiness in that home. The father thought he was building a palace in Paradise with his dhikr, yet without realizing it he had torn down the abode of jannah in his own household due to a misunderstanding of rights and timing.
So we do not become righteous people who “lose focus” in placing things where they belong, let us use a simple, slightly funny analogy.Imagine you are riding a city bus. Suddenly, the bus driver turns back, smiling widely, and says very devoutly to all the passengers, “Ladies and gentlemen… because I love God so much, from this moment on, along the entire route I’m going to drive with my eyes closed, holding prayer beads, and reciting as much dhikr as possible! ”What do you think all the bus passengers would do? They would surely scream hysterically, “Hey Mister, open your eyes! Don’t do dhikr with your eyes closed while driving—we could all plunge into a ravine together!”
Funny and horrifying, isn’t it? Driving with focus and watching the road is the “worship” of a driver while on duty for everyone’s safety. Doing dhikr with eyes closed is good, but its place is not behind the wheel of a moving bus!It is the same in real life. When your wife and children need to be talked to and have their emotional needs met, your best “worship” is to listen to them with full love, not to put on a blank face while muttering over prayer beads and ignoring them. Let us not become “drivers of life” who send our entire household plunging into the ravine of depression because we misplaced the time for worship!
3. Conclusion & Closing
Friends, the profound moral message from today’s material is an invitation to become intelligent and proportional Muslims. True righteousness will never demand that we sacrifice the human rights of those under our responsibility.
Let us divide our life’s time wisely. Give Allah His absolute right at dawn and at night through our prostrations and tears. But when dawn turns to day and the time to gather with family arrives, bring your soul and body fully as their comforter and protector. Because sincerely bringing happiness to your children and wife, in the sight of Allah, is also an act of worship with extraordinary reward.
May Allah SWT grant us the wisdom to always be able to fulfill rights and their times proportionally
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
